


Through The Sands of Time, I Got You Back

by akasharpiegirl



Series: I Won’t Leave What’s Lost Behind [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Genius Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Irondad, Irondad & Spiderson, Kinda, Lots of Angst, Morgan Gets A Hug, Morgan Stark Needs a Hug (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Morgan Stark-centric (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper Potts Feels, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark Friendship (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Morgan Stark are Siblings (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Protective Pepper Potts, Teen Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, and she gets one, but it’s kinda, from guess who, she needs a hug too, theyll actually interact in the next part I think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23114296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akasharpiegirl/pseuds/akasharpiegirl
Summary: The next thing she knew, she was wrapped in her father’s arms.
Relationships: Happy Hogan & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Happy Hogan & Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Stephen Strange, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Pepper Potts & Stephen Strange, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Stephen Strange
Series: I Won’t Leave What’s Lost Behind [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656721
Comments: 8
Kudos: 101





	Through The Sands of Time, I Got You Back

**Author's Note:**

> I referenced the new movie Onward, ha! It’s such a wonderful film, please check it out. Anyway, I don’t think I spoiled anything, so it should be clear. If anything, I’m pretty sure it’s mild.
> 
> As always, if you’re new, please check out the previous parts before reading!! I hope you enjoy!

“Did it work?”, Morgan asked, exhaustion showing on her face as she woke up thirty minutes after returning to real time, now sitting down on the floor in Strange’s Sanctum. (Morgan didn’t realize traveling in time could make you exhausted.) Stephen hadn’t had the heart to wake her immediately upon her return, even though that meant she had missed seeing her Dad return.

She looked up from her hands as she yawned, seeing a projection of her Dad pacing around their lakehouse’s backyard as he was trying to call someone—Happy. 

“Oh my God, he’s alive. I did it,” Morgan let out. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You’re about as headstrong as your father, if I would’ve told you no one more time, I’d be the dead one,” Strange shrugged.

Tony was now attempting to call Happy for the second time, “Please— Oh my God, Happy. It’s me—Yeah I know, I-I don’t know how or why, but I’m alive. I tried calling Pep twice, is she okay? If you wouldn’t have called, I would have had to call Rhodey or Parker... how are they? Uh, I’m at the house, I don’t know how I even got here. I don’t even know how my phone found service. How long has it been? Hasn’t wireless technology gotten better or something?”

She pulled herself up off the ground with the palms of her hands and looked at the moving scene in front of her. Her Dad had hung up with Happy by now, had calmed down, and was looking at the tree next to the lake, which had a wooden swing attached to a branch now. It was where Morgan went to do homework or write when it was of decent weather. Her notebook was actually laying on the swing at that point too. And yet, Morgan wouldn’t step forward. Was it fear keeping her still? 

That’s when Strange’s cloak quickly pushed her through the portal... And the next thing Morgan knew, she and her school bag had tumbled onto the green grass of her home. 

Thankfully Tony hadn’t heard her. But at the same time, was Morgan thankful he hadn’t heard? How was she supposed to talk to him? He won’t be able to know immediately that she’s his daughter. That doesn’t transcend time and space like she wanted. 

She picked herself up and looked around for something she could use to grab his attention. (Because no way in hell was she going to get his attention by calling out ‘Dad’.) Morgan found herself pinching herself just in case she was dreaming and she thanked some force above that she hadn’t immediately woken up right after.

She picked up a small rock and threw it as far as she could. It hit against the bark of the tree and then nestled under the swing. 

“What the—“, Tony cut himself off, looking in the direction of where the rock came from. He saw floral converse shoes before looking up to find the owner of them. That’s when the two made real eye contact for the first time in almost ten years. Tears brimmed Morgan’s eyes then.

“D-Dad?”, Morgan said as she felt a tear fall, cringing slightly. Was that really the only thing she could say? That’s the ONE thing she didn’t want to lead with. 

He looked at Morgan inquisitively, his memory of Morgan flashing in his mind. What he remembered of Morgan meshed into the anxious teenager, who was wearing a shirt with the words ‘infinite possibilities’ printed on it, that was standing right in front of him. 

“Morgan?”, Tony asked as Morgan walked over to him. “My gosh, how long has it been?”

“Nine... nine years, almost 10,” Morgan answered as more tears fell.

“So you’re fourteen?”, Tony asked, unable to fathom how long it’s been. The last thing he remembered was taking his  _ final _ breath with a burn encapsulating half of his body while hoping that Morgan wouldn’t be mad at him for doing the only thing he thought he had to do. Now, he stood at his home nine years later completely and utterly unscathed, with his daughter shedding tears of joy as she saw him. How? 

“Yeah, I am,” Morgan answered. 

“Did you do this?”, Tony asks. “Bring me back, I mean?”

Morgan nodded wordlessly as she still couldn’t control her crying. 

The next thing she knew, she was wrapped in her father’s arms. 

“Please don’t go, _please_. You can’t leave me again, p-please,” She mumbled as Tony cradled her head. Morgan felt like if she were to let go, he’d fade away just like he had in her dream from last week and just like a character from one of her favorite movies had done. “I thought I… I thought I was never going to see you again, Dad.”

“I didn’t think I would ever see you again either,  _ Maguna _ ,” Tony said as tears of his own fell. He hated crying, but at this moment he couldn’t bottle up his feelings. “I’m sorry, I knew it... I knew it didn’t feel right. I’m so sorry. I won’t ever leave you again Morgan, I promise. Okay? It’s going to be alright.” He generally hated hugs on any other occasion, but for his  ~~ little girl ~~ _teenage daughter_? Not possible. 

Morgan nodded. 

“Tony?”, Pepper called immediately upon getting out of her car. 

Tony’s tear stained eyes shot open at the sound of his wife’s voice. 

Morgan reluctantly let go, stepping away from her Dad as she left room for her Mother. A wave of relief washed over her when Tony hadn’t disappeared as soon as the two let go too. (She also secretly hoped she wouldn’t get in trouble for sneaking the suit from the garage and leaving her science class field trip.) 

“Pepper?”, Tony called back, making his presence in the yard known. 

She turned the corner of the lakehouse and saw her husband standing right next to their teenage daughter by the lake. Happy followed closely behind her. Morgan broke eye contact with Pepper the moment it was attained.

“I—“, Pepper mumbled, rushing toward him. “You’re really alive.”

“It seems I am,” Tony answered her as the two held onto each other. 

“Don’t ever do anything like that again,” Pepper states as tears welled in her eyes too and kissed his cheek. “The world moved on, Morgan and I didn’t.”

“I swear to you that I won’t,” he said. “No more surprises, for real. I’ll stay on the ground.”

They let go of the embrace a second later and Pepper’s view of her husband switched to their daughter, who was avoiding eye contact with her. Morgan had stopped crying just a second earlier.

“Morgan, care to explain yourself?”, Pepper asked.

“I’d actually prefer not to,” Morgan replied with a nervous laugh.

“What did she do?”, Tony asked as he wiped the stray tears away from his eyes. 

“I distinctly remember telling you not to go to Strange or Peter when you told me that you thought something was wrong. Yet, you left your school trip and deliberately disobeyed me, Morgan. You could’ve gotten hurt or killed!”, Pepper yelled. 

“That I did and I’m really sorry. But for what it’s worth, I’m breathing, I’m fine. I didn’t tell Peter, actually. I went in knowing I was going to come back safe. Stephen assured me that I would be fine,” Morgan deflected. “And my actions got your husband back alive, so...”

“She didn’t know?”, Tony said before Pepper could say a thing.

Morgan nodded.

“Impressive,” Tony stated.

“Tony!”, Pepper scolded. 

“Uh, I mean, don’t defy your Mom like that,” Tony corrected himself before whispering to Morgan. “Still impressive. Nice going, kid.”

“Thanks,” Morgan smiled weakly before letting out another yawn. 

“I’m calling Doctor Cho,” Pepper announced before pulling out her phone. “No arguments.”

Morgan sighed at her Mother’s decision as she picked up her grass stained backpack that was slung through the portal just a few minutes prior. 

———

“Morgan’s fine,” Doctor Cho confirmed. “Minor scrapes on her arms and one bruise at the right knee, but that’s it. Those will heal on their own. That’s not much different than the injuries she contracts every time she falls during her tap and lyrical rehearsals. Because she went through various timelines, I checked for problems there. But there appears to be no signs of warping, which is good. She seems a little drained from the... erm, travel expedition... so Morgan, I’d suggest you take it easy for the rest of the day. That might be due to the fact you’re young and the travel took a little more out of you… then say, your Dad or Rogers.”

“I told you I was fine,” Morgan muttered. “I also can’t help the fact I fall so much at dance, they need to replace those floors with marley.”

Tony looked at Morgan, thinking back to when she was 3 and started taking dance classes for the first time. He was glad she kept that up. 

He looked back at Helen as she addressed him. “I said this earlier when I arrived, but it's nice to see you alive, Mr. Stark,” Helen Cho gave a weak smile. “Your health is fine. It appears that when Morgan fixed the damaged timeline, you spawned back as the you that you were right before everything went south back in 2023. Which means you are technically still that age... at least physically. So, it’s as if you went into cryostasis for nine years.” 

“Thank you,” Pepper stated as she held Tony’s hand.

“Everything else is completely fine. On the other hand, I do feel as if this transition might be hard for everyone involved. You went from three family members, to two, and then back to three in a quick series of time even though it feels it’s been a really long time. Be patient with each other in this time of adjustment, especially with Morgan. She doesn’t really do well with change, even if she’s the one spurring it on. With her, uh, chronic anxiety over people in her life leaving her, it'll probably take time for her to get used to Tony being in her life again,” Cho continued.

Tony looked back at Morgan with a sympathetic look then. Gosh, he felt like such a horrible father. Granted, he never wanted to leave his family. Of course Morgan deals with abandonment issues because of all of what went down almost ten years ago. 

“I forgot that my therapist communicates my issues with you,” Morgan deadpans. 

“You saw a therapist once. But if you say you still have one, technically your therapist is your Mother,” Cho contradicted. “She also gets permission from you to disclose that information.”

“I’m not her therapist,” Pepper raises her eyebrow at the statement. “I’m her Dad’s therapist, not hers.”

“I— You drop me the second your husband returns from his nine year hibernation, I see how it is,” Morgan jokes. 

“Is this the kind of dynamic you two have?”, Tony tried to hold back laughter. He saw so much of himself in his daughter. 

“Yes,” Morgan confirmed. 

“Anyway,” Cho spoke up after trying so hard not to laugh at the family that was already quipping with each other as if nothing had kept them from doing so. “Nothing will truly make up for lost time, but hopefully what I’m about to suggest will help slightly... Mr. Stark, my suggestion is to get to know Morgan. Morgan, get to know your Dad. You two seem a lot alike already, so here’s hoping that makes it easy. Game nights, movie nights, just talking, I don’t know. Find something that works over this weekend. That’ll be the easiest way to adjust for all three of you.” 

———

****  
  


Morgan laughed with her family when her phone started to ring. She pulled her phone from her backpack and looked at the Caller ID. Maya, who had been on the trip with Morgan, was calling her. Crap.

“If I don’t take this she’s going to yell at me on Monday,” Morgan shrugged as she answered.

Tony hadn’t realized he made a weird face at Morgan’s statement.

“Morgan, are you okay? Where on Earth did you go? What happened?”, Maya asked as soon as their video chat connected. She was sitting on the charter bus they had taken for the trip she fled from. 

“I’m fine, Maya. I, uh—“, Morgan stopped herself as she glanced at her parents sitting out of Maya’s view before looking back at Maya.

“Wait, are you at your house?”, she continued questioning. 

“Yeah,” Morgan nodded. 

“Why’d you leave? How are you even home already?”

“Family emergency?”, Morgan states, even though it turned into more of a question rather than a firm statement. Everyone knew Morgan was the daughter of Tony Stark and therefore she was associated with the Avengers, but she always had to be extremely careful about information she gave out about them.

“But Happy called our teacher? Said he didn’t know where you were? Isn’t he like family to you?”, Maya pressed on.

“For some reason my stuff wasn’t syncing my general location, he had reason to be concerned. My family shares location with each other for safety purposes… you know, being the daughter of an ex avenger isn't always all that it’s cracked out to be,” Morgan shrugged. (Which was true, it wasn’t syncing and needed to be. But it was due to the fact both, her phone and her watch, were turned off.) “But really, it was a family emergency. Had to do with the avengers. You don’t have to freak out for me.” 

“You’re probably going to get suspended for leaving the trip, you know,” Maya states. 

“Yeah, I might be. You’re right,” Morgan answered, unfazed. “Until some press release drops and explains what happened, because I know it will… since it technically doesn’t just affect me and my family.”

Maya gave a confused look before switching the subject, “Anyway, you missed out. This one exhibit you would have loved.”

“I’m technically supposed to go back next year with my robotics team, I’ll see it then,” Morgan answered. “I’m glad you thought of me though.”

“I have to go, we’re getting back now. See you Monday,” Maya smiled at her best friend.

“Actually before I let you go, can you let Rina know I might not be at practice for competition tomorrow? We have that live forever duet to rehearse and I have no idea if I’m gonna be able to make it,” Morgan said before saying goodbye.

“Oh, yeah! Sure,” Maya agreed. “Bye!”

Morgan gave a simple wave as the call closed out.

“You’re on the robotics team at your school?”, Tony smiled at the thought. He wasn’t in her life (not his decision) for nine years and yet, she was just like him in so many ways.

“Yeah, actually,” Morgan laughed. “As soon as I got to the high school I joined. Since it’s such a big deal for freshmen to join clubs they herded all of us in the gym on the first day and wouldn’t let any of us leave until we signed up for a club or signed up to tryout for a team of some sort. 12 year old me didn’t know what to do and robotics was literally the only remotely interesting one to me. Plus, legacy and all… I felt like the world  _ needed  _ me to join it. Nevertheless, I loved it though and I don’t plan on quitting soon though.”

“You know, her science teacher wants her to enter the state science fair this year,” Pepper brought up, to which Tony had a look of pleasant surprise.

Morgan’s eyes widened as soon as she heard her Mom’s statement and she mouthed ‘Mom, no!’ 

“What? You’re still not sure about it?”, Pepper asked upon seeing her daughter’s initial reaction to her statement. 

“Of course I’m not,” Morgan sighed. “Everyone thinks I’m smart enough to qualify for ISEF, but I just think that’s not possible. I have until next Friday to enter my name in, but I doubt I’ll change my mind.”

“Oh no, don’t you say that,” Tony started. “Look, I might not know you as well as your Mom does. But if you figured out a way to get me back, you’ve got to be pretty darn smart.”

“Not really,” Morgan answered. “Strange just confirmed my suspicion and told me how to bring you back.”

“You know, someone once told me that being smart doesn’t mean you have to know all the answers immediately. You had a feeling. You quite literally dreamt about it, right? You told someone about it, and you were right. Scientific theory… What you had there was a working hypothesis. What makes people truly smart is the willingness to show others their ideas or view ideas and collaborate. Smart people join forces with other smart people. That’s what you did there,” Tony explained. “Your Mom told me that… what? How many years ago?”

“It was shortly after we met each other... so a real long while,” Pepper recalled the moment. “I don't even remember why I felt the need to say it, I just remember that someone in one of my psychology classes in college said it.”

Morgan let a smile slip before covering it up with a calm expression. “I see what you’re saying, but I still feel like it’s not worth it to enter. I mean, I would, but I...”, she cut herself off as she made eye contact with her father.

“May I ask why you feel that way?”, Tony asked her.

“Your… Your, uh, shadow,” Morgan answered. “I’ve never done it before just because anytime they come to town I hear a lot. It normally doesn’t bother me, it really doesn’t. I see and hear lots of things from TMZ and CNN in and of itself. But with an event as big as ISEF hanging in the balance with a competition spot, good Lord. It’s all anyone in my science class talks about when my teacher brings it up at the end of her teaching block.”

“If people can’t see past me when they look at you and your accomplishments, that’s on them. Not you. Your mind is different than mine, heck. You probably know more than I did at your age because you have a perfect eidetic memory and I never have possessed that. If you want to go for it, opinions shouldn’t matter. I’ll stand by your decision either way,” Tony offered his advice. 

“Thanks… Dad,” Morgan smiled.

————

They watched Morgan’s favorite movie after eating dinner that night. Tony found it interesting that Morgan’s favorite movie was about two siblings going on a journey to get their father back. Maybe she related to one of them? It seems possible. Tony and Morgan sat together on the couch, while Pepper sat in the chair to the left of them as they watched. Though Morgan had fallen asleep shortly after the culmination of the film started to come together, so Tony was stuck laying on the couch with his daughter, who was resting the the left side of her head on his chest as a pillow while her legs were dangling off the couch. It was 10:39 PM.

“Is she asleep?”, Pepper asked in a hushed tone over the end credit music that was filtering through their home.

“It seems so,” Tony responded as it took all of his willpower to not laugh. “Pep, help me though. I can’t move, I don’t know what to do.”

“Let her sleep. She has really bad insomnia because of her memory. It keeps her up quite a bit. Manifests like anxiety in her, at least,” Pepper explained. “My two insomniacs, back together again.”

“Really? I thought I was getting better with that,” Tony questioned.

“You were,” Pepper notes as she turns off the television. “But you still have insomnia.” 

He stared blankly at her. 

“Look, I know you want to spend time with me. I want to spend time with you too, honey. But Morgan needs you right now. In case you can’t find a way to get up without her waking up and she stays asleep the whole night, I’d suggest setting an alarm for 9:30 or so. She has competition rehearsal tomorrow at 10:45,” Pepper looked sympathetically at her husband. “We have the house to ourselves from 10:45 until 3:45.” She began to walk away from him.

“Where are you going?”, he asked.

“To bed,” Pepper stopped in her tracks, turned back toward him, and answered. “I’ll be back down in a moment to give you a blanket and to take a picture of the cutest moment I’ve gotten to witness… then I’m going to bed.”

“Okay,” Tony mumbled as he saw Pepper walk up the stairwell. Pretty soon it’ll be 24 hours since he returned. 

Pepper came back down a moment later with a purple throw blanket, “I got to be honest, Stark, I’m a little jealous. When she and I used to have movie nights… just the two of us, without Peter or MJ… she’d fall asleep on me. But that’s okay. It means we have you back safe and sound.” She laid the blanket over Morgan before Pepper inevitably took a photo of the moment. “Goodnight you two.”

“Goodnight,” Tony murmured, watching her leave the room again.

“Don’t forget to set that alarm,” Pepper whisper-yelled before disappearing upstairs.

**Author's Note:**

> The ending was inspired by the few times my dad has been right by my side through my panic attacks that like to spur on at night. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you SO MUCH for your patience. I hope you enjoyed it and please leave kudos and comments if you would like to see this series continue.


End file.
